Where in a midst of a heatwave. The usual sea breeze hasn’t come in for a few days. The afternoons are usually when the relief of the ocean winds arrive , but not lately.A large high pressure system that has rolled in from Arizona has most of LA pushing 40 degrees and we’re in our 5 th or 6th consecutive day . There’s no wind , there actually never is .It works hand in hand in explaining  the stable weather patterns , they don’t get pushed through , they crawl there course. You don’t get stinging hot days with those bone dry northerlies like you do in Melbourne . Here it’s a heat that grows from the ground , drawing any moisture out of gardens and what little greenery there is , it’s thicker . You don’t burn as quick , it takes more to get sunburnt . Maybe it really is the hole in the ozone over Australia. The afternoons grow , there’s a build in the atmosphere . Large ,  cumulonimbus clouds rise out of the haze . You look inland to a purple curtain rising up from the mountains , spreading its fingers towards the coast . The blue sky becomes white and the coast shimmers silver . Theres bushfires in the ranges throwing smoke into the already suffocating smog and storm build , it’s eerie . The sun sets have been spectacular. A fiery massive pink beauty that you can look straight at , the haze acting as a filter for your eyes . At dusk a large moon sneaks into view , it’s getting fuller . The natives will be getting restless . The hood will be popping off like the Chinese New Year this weekend . It’s a 4 day labour day long weekend ,smack bang in the middle of a record breaking heatwave on a full moon . Yeerha! There’l be more lead getting popped into flesh than duck season . The build is on , it’ll be showtime in emergency this weekend . 

Dad, dad , daaaaaddd!Voomph, voomph ,voomph . All I can see is the fan spinning , each blade pulsing through rays of sun . Dad, daaaad ,  I’m hungry.    What ? A little hand touches my shoulder and then Leroys little head appears in my view. Shiyat, I put my head up and check the time ,834, and then I drop back onto the pillow.Dad, dad are you ever going to wake up ,cause I’m really ,really hungry .Ok, ok , give me a minute. My heads pounding and I’m dry as .Its coming back to me , I got drunk last night. Went out on the town with another Aussie .Its the 1st time this tigers been out of his cage for a while . Definitely needed the run but I’m out of form and suffering as a consequence. I’ve got two boys to look after but Nick has 2 girls under 5 . No doubt he ‘d have to be awake by now . I went down to the beach looking for a wave  when I noticed a guy with a Melbourne triathlon t shirt on .  ‘ Hey mate are you from Melbourne ‘ I yelled .    ‘Yeah . I’m from Sandringham.You?’  ‘Mornington, you here on Holliday.’   ‘No, I’m on daddy day care duties while my wife works ‘.   ‘Yeah ! Same here ”. Shit we’l have to catch up. I ‘l get your Facebook details and we’l hook up’And so it was , a chance encounter with another Aussie on the beach actually led to the 1 st occasion that I’ve socialised with anyone ,drinking or not .I staggered home at 130 but I’m glad i did it .Nick is here for 3 months whilst his wife sorts out some problems for the company she works for ,Moose( children’s toys). Apparently it’s going gangbusters here . As it turns out Emma’s sisters best friend also works for Moose . Small world . We met another couple that live just down the road and before long there were shouts and shots going down . Stacey and Ryan were a cool couple who schooled me on the art of tipping the bar men . Lets just say I’m a tight arse. I actually woke up with a bit of guilt as tipping the bar tender a buck at a time is cheap . Hey I’m anAussie and we don’t play this game back home .20% , every time you buy a drink should be tipped to the bar tender . Even if you don’t have change you are meant to ask the bar tender to break your note into smaller notes so you can tip. I didn’t do that . Apparently that’s a no no .Even on a Wednesday night this joint pumped and it’s walking distance from home . To Nick , happy birthday , and to Stacey and Ryan , it was a pleasure meeting you guys . Now , I’l take the kids and my throbbing head to the beach to wash away my pain . No regrets , that was fun 

I’ve been wanting to tackle this for a while but gathering the details and information is akin to running a marathon . Of course I rather make statements without backing them up with detail . The fitness industry must be at saturation point . The choice and competition in just a 5 mile square radius to where we live is stupefying . I had this little idea that maybe this is an area I could consider ,but once here I realised that idea was already popular . Yes I tend to be naive . You’ve got at least 5 or more big gyms and then you’ve got a smorgasbord of choice . Crossfit ,Allegiate ,Yard, BodyOne, F45and a host of others all provide your  high intensity( Megan Deuschter style) workout . Yoga is huge . It’s the in thing to walk around with your yoga mat in your slim lithe body , head held high at one with your zen self . Martial arts and associated fitness programs is another that is at staggering density .MMA is a huge industry in LA and in the SouthBay .Pilates , everywhere. In Hermosa Beach you’ve got a huge beach volleyball addiction where specialised coaches are out training anyone ,and they all get a sweat up . There’s even a sport called beach tennis played with bats and flat tennis balls on the beach volley ball courts. They have their own dedicated shop (Sexy beach tennis) that does a roaring trade .Personal training is a fiercely competitive market , on another level to anything I’ve seen in Aus . Expertise and credentials hold significance. If there’s one thing I have noticed , nothing is cheap . The competition hasn’t seemed to have driven down prices in this industry . I would estimate that there maybe 50 places to spend your money getting fit in this 5 mile radius . I gave up trying to get exact numbers after the invasive advertising and need to get my details brought me to the point of smashing my phone .I have noticed two businesses closing up that couldn’t cut it , and it isn’t any wonder when the asking fees seem to hover around $2500 per year for a lot of these places . There doesn’t seem to be any walk up policy or pay as you go , it’s automatic monthly payments. I understand they have commitments to meet but this is the 1st thing that makes me pause at the door before having second thoughts .At this stage i’l keep doing push-ups and running and occasionally surfing if the swell eventually comes back . If your going to get a pt certificate and think you’ll just start up a business you better think carefully , cause this competition is crowded and you’ve got a pack of insanely qualified freaks who eat and breath this shit . The cutting edge of personal fitness is here 

The beaches are wide . The stretch of sand  running from the strand to the water must be over 100 m , especially on the low tide . There’s been a weird haze that has enveloped the coast over the last couple of days . Not the normal June gloom but a golden gloom . It’s like two major forces have collided ; an intense heatwave inland has been met by an earlier than normal sea breeze. Within a mile of the coast you are shielded from a fierce desert push . The air has swirled up creating a sandy golden fuzz  . All the cars and windows have been left coated with a salty brine . I stood at the oceans edge this morning like I do most days . The waves are still not here but the water has energy . There’s movement , currents , small lines of foam just starting to appear on the edges of rock walls and jettys . It feels like the first signs of a subtle shift in the climate, we’ve just hit the other side of summer . The ocean is giving off the fist hint of change .I stand on the edge of the west coast of a major continent , the ocean has a mesmerising hold . Your tiny , nothing . It’s massive and always moving . You don’t have to be in it to love it , but you can watch it for hours . Behind you is a dusty concrete metropolis baking under a stifling summer smog . You can have LA ,but I ‘l take the coast all day , every day . 

The weather ,it hasn’t changed . It’s why everyone flocks here . Still hasn’t rained during the day since we got here on April 15 , only drizzled twice at night . Every day has been over 20 degrees . A heatwave has most of LA pushing 40 but here on the Southbay we are protected by the breeze that wafts off the Pacific . It will push into the 30s on occasion here in Hermosa Beach but usually the ocean breeze builds from a small on shore zephyr around 10sh . By 3 in the arvo it will bring temperatures down by 10 degrees , thus it doesn’t get too hot . It hasn’t been windy , rarely does it get beyond 10 to 15 knots and it is always coming off the ocean . The mighty Pacific controls most of our weather . An expanse of ocean so massive is surprising in its capacity to keep the weather so stable. Weather systems move slowly unlike the the fronts that sweep across the great Australian bite and constantly change up the days . The ocean has become dormant and the surf has exited the region for the last 8 weeks , bar the occasional pop up day.I thought I knew better when the locals warned me that the swell would drain from the region ,as of early July I’d surfed most days . Then the gaps in swell started until the surf has totally disappeared for the last 4 weeks , a series of ear infections would of stopped me anyway. It’s surprising that an expanse of ocean that spreads all the way to Hawaii has very little storms or wind that would push swell into LA. There are cyclones that hover off lower Mexico and push up southern swell , but most of this is blocked by Catalina Island and only angles up past Santa Monica . Ground swell doesn’t go that well here anyway as they tend to close out no matter the size. Weather tended to roll down from Canada and Alaska and pushed out into the Pacific , forcing swell into the region .That pattern has stopped and apparently reignites in October..Tex actually complained that he doesn’t get to wear his cool fashion accessories as he’s always in shorts and a shirt.No problem for Leroy  , he’s no fashionista and it’s just sporting attire for him . Yep we are spoilt for weather but even that can get boring .

Nearly 70 days down , just 9 days before school is back . It’s fair to say I’ve had a lot of time with the kids . Even more with Leroy . I’ve shown him a few things . He’s developed an appreciation for Jerry Springer . He often asks why 3 girls all want to kiss that guy or even sleep in his bed ?He wants to know what a stripper is and why is it always strippers and fat girls with tattoos that like to come on Jerry ? He even says he’d like to go to one of Jerrys shows , cause it’s funny watching all the contestants fighting on stage . That’s my boy . He asks the tough questions . The other day he asked if fish get thirsty and did they drink from the sea ?He reckons it would be too salty. He theorises that it must be best to go fishing in the rain cause the fish would have to come to the surface to drink the fresh water . That way they’l more than likely take your bait . He reckons when he eats he’l often need a mouthful of water so surely this would be the same with fish .’Yeah it makes sense I suppose ‘ , I replied. The other day he wanted to know if dogs have soap on their tongues . I said , ‘why’ ? ‘ Well you always see then licking their balls and …….  ‘Yeah ok ok  I know where your going’, I said . He only recently thought babies were cut out of the mums tummies until of course I told him the truth . He was shocked at first as he thought that bit was too small, but then he thought it hilarious . He’s still puzzled how the baby got in their in the 1st case. I reckon he thinks he knows the answer but I’m not going there yet .Yep he’s already a typical bloke .You got to give it to kids they want to know the important things in life . 

It’s just Leroy and I . You can hear the beach concert echoing through the sea breeze .’Stop dragging my heart around’ by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty is being covered . What a song . We are chewing on a bag of chesters ( Cheetos) and now settling into one of the great movies , a beer in hand, of course.Occasional wafts of the green timber  curl past our balcony. Content , no work tomorrow and I’m watching superstars Tara Reid and Ian Ziering (90210 tool) ply their trade .Sharknado 5 , yep the sort of stuff I’d normally need a whole tree smoked before I’d watch is on by demand from Leroy . He’s riveted to the tv . Big brother is next he reckons . Also one of my all time favourites , it’s on prime time Sunday on CBC . You can only imagine how annoying these fuckers are. Fortunately I’ve got sailor jerry and IPA to get me through . Oh shit , now Ems got home and put on the Kardashians . I think I’m gonna have to start sculling the Sailor Jerry straight from the bottle . 

Eat out style. We’ve ticked In N Out  and you ‘l never wipe this fast food outlet off your list .Yeah it’s a bit crass but it’s a simple menu that keeps this junk food at a high standard .Love this joint , only vegetarians don’t need to apply. There’s plenty of fast food chains that we don’t have in Aus but your not in any hurry to eat their stuff if you want to get home and be recognisable . Today we ticked the Cheesecake Factory off . Yeah I know what a lot of you are thinking . Why ? Cause it’s an American institution. They love this joint . It’s basically a large family eatery that serves everything . People queue up to get in this place , they even have valet parking .It has a 10 page menu and of course cheesecake is in the desert menu .Ive gotta be careful but I will say there was an over representation of a certain type of folk . Plenty of food and doggy bags here . Two plates of bread to start with ,a massive hamburger and fries for me , salad and popcorn shrimp(prawns )for Emma and chicken and chips for Leroy that would of filled me .Two large cokes to top off this healthy meal . With a $10 tip it totalled $55, plus a doggy bag of chicken . I’m not in a hurry to go back but I would be more than happy to take Aussie friends . It’s cheesy and oh so cliche American ,but it still out delivers most family pubs in Aus .You can eat steak for $20 with the most expensive meal at $29 that I could see . Last night I found another little shop about 400 m from home . A little Mexican eatery with a couple of tables and just two Mexican women in their 20s cooking and serving . Hermosa Mexican Cuisine isn’t flash but is clean .Business was brisk and I just knew I’d found a little diamond. It gives you a buzz when you find an unremarkable place like this that the locals keep as their little secret . No fish n chips on the weekend is something you miss but these little Mexican and South American joints are their replacement . The food is a lot healthier and they still cook a mean burger and chips at this little diamond . $16 for takeaway last night and just a 5 minute walk from home . There’s no need to get in the car to coat your mouth with that horrible aftertaste of regret that fast food will give you when you’ve got little joints like these.

Not Rob or Brent , Hurricane.. Harvey.Its smashing Texas as I speak . Corpus Christi , yep it’s familiar ? Texas , heard of it somewhere?It’s being drilled by the big dog .. Harvey , not Mark ,not Paul but a big arse  Hurricane that’s dropped to a incredible low of 938 on  the barometer . We don’t see that in Aus . A weather event like this is extraordinary, something we rarely see back home. The saturation coverage of an event like this is incredible,,but compelling . They’re predicting 3 feet of rain in the next 24 hours , can you believe that ?At the same time on the other side of Mexico , just a little north ,we’re about to hit  a 7 day heatwave of temperatures soaring into the low 40s . We get similar events in Aus, but in the US you’ve got huge populations that are always in the firing line .Over here they’l live anywhere . The news coverage and the reporters play a hilarious game of ‘who can get in front of big waves hitting the harbour breakwall whilst getting blown sideways .’These reporters  get smashed on live TV .We don’t want them to speak shit ,we want them to eat it . It’s a sport . Please , let me see one of these guys fly sideways and hit a palm tree ,or a palm tree hit them . I don’t want to see them get hurt , I just want them to go arse up .  Cmon Harvs you’ve been tagged for years , it’s your turn to knock a few over .  

Before I start this blog I must note that it is Friday arvo and I’ve just cracked another beautiful IPA at 7.7% from Stone brewing . If only the public servants here could be as loose and personable as their brewers and this would could be a happy ride . You have to be a Philadelphian lawyer to read and then act on the paperwork you have to submit when you are an expat . It’s a sysytem set up in anything but layman and of course that’s its purpose. They’re not going to make it easy for any foreigner to come in an steal their work . I am currently going through the task of obtaining an I-765 form which will allow me to work as an attachment to Emma’s L1 work permit . It’s like an endorsement from NYX (Emma’s employer)that I can apply for work whilst Emma is currently working in the US. In late May we sent a bank cheque and work form off for $495  ,only to get the cheque and form returned in the mail 4 weeks later notifying that we sent $85 too much . Big mistake , but without going into detail something a lot of people would’ve done without professional advice . We corrected that and on the 21 st of July I got a letter saying that the department of homeland security had received and processed cheque and my case is pending . Today I rang and finally got through to someone . Like the moment we went to the US consulate in Melbourne , you are treated with the least humanising and borderline contemptuous attitude . It’s expected that you are au fait with US visa policy . I ended up laughing at the guy on the phone as the jargon speak was virtually another language . I ended up saying , ‘ mate I don’t hardly know what your talking about but I just wanna know what’s hapn’n with the permit ‘ After 5 teeth pulling minutes I was told that as it has only been 35 days since the cheque was received .I could expect to wait another 40 before a decision is made . This guy on the phone was highly efficient ,didn’t take a breathe and nothing I could say would loosen his belt . Fuck , I felt as if I just got off the plane from Syria. . Might of been easier to get across the border before Donny boy puts up the wall ,millions of others have done it and somehow have been able to work and even draw social security . Ahhh , but they can do all the shit jobs , so let’s not get too worried .  Any one need a caulker ?